Decade of Impact

A Decade of Impact report reflects on ten years of excellence, transformation and discovery at York University.

President Shoukri has released A Decade of Impact, a report that celebrates the many tremendous achievements of the York University community over the last ten years. It examines how the unique values and priorities that set York apart – its diversity and its commitment to social justice, accessibility and fairness – have shaped and transformed the University since 2007. It also explores the vital role our remarkable faculty members, researchers, students and staff have played in putting York on a trajectory to be a national and global leader in every field imaginable.

“As I look back with pride and reflection on the last ten years, I am keenly aware of how fitting it is that, in the same year that our country turns 150, York has grown to embody many of the strong values that make Canada the country it is today,” said Shoukri, “While this report could not possibly capture the full scope of what our community has accomplished in the last ten years, it highlights some of the successes that have positioned York to continue its incredible record of accomplishment for many years to come.”

This record includes impressive developments in the area of academic excellence, including the launch of innovative programs like our Master of Arts in Disaster & Emergency Management program in 2008, the first of its kind in Ontario, and Canada’s first undergraduate global health degree in 2013. It has also been a decade of transformation, and strategic investment in facilities like the Life Sciences Building and the Bergeron Centre of Engineering Excellence have bolstered innovative interdisciplinary teaching and research.

The use of these facilities by our faculty and student researchers has given new meaning to innovation, offering big solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time – and the world is taking note. York’s world-class expertise in vision research helped to secure the University’s largest research grant to date, and Canada’s most prestigious research award, a $33.3M Canada First Research Excellence Fund grant.

York also remains a Canadian leader in campus sustainability, environmental conscientiousness and social responsibility, thanks to a community of faculty, staff and students who take sustainability seriously.

“Every member of the York family has many reasons to be proud of the legacy of impact we have established in the last decade,” said Shoukri, “Each year and each goal has been special in its own right, and what they all share in common is a sense of continuity and forward momentum. I would like to thank our entire community for their part in making York such a special place. Because of you, I truly believe that our best years are still ahead of us.”

The report is available to download in both French and English as a PDF, and more details about A Decade of Impact can be found by watching this video.